Group rallies outside Fall River Government Center, calling for end to sequester

With sequestration cuts sapping funds away from many social service programs, a group rallied outside Government Center on Thursday afternoon and called on the city’s federal delegation to do their part to reverse the trend.

With sequestration cuts sapping funds away from many social service programs, a group rallied outside Government Center on Thursday afternoon and called on the city’s federal delegation to do their part to reverse the trend.

The dozen members of various organizations joined together under the group Budget for All to bring light to the amount of funding that could be removed from military spending to restore the funding cut from other programs.

“We’re very upset with sequestration, and it’s already having an effect on programs in Fall River,” Maryellen Kurkulos said.

The cuts already in place in Massachusetts, which Budget for All voiced concerns about, include funds for Head Start programs, vocational rehabilitation programs and rental housing vouchers for low-income families.

The group also voiced concerns about potential cuts to Social Security and veterans benefits due to the Chained Consumer Price Index, which is a potential alternative to the Consumer Price Index.

Kurkulos, a member of the Quequechan Alliance for Justice and Peace, said the rally was being held Thursday because it represented what was supposed to be the debt ceiling deadline. A similar rally was also held in Boston, with another planned in Northhampton for today.

Kurkulos backed the group’s message with reminders that voters in 91 cities and towns, including the 8th Bristol Representative District, which covers Fall River’s South End, voted in support of a nonbinding referendum calling for cuts to Pentagon spending and tax increases on corporations and the country’s wealthiest individuals.

“The people of Massachusetts have spoken, and they want the budget to protect services and jobs,” Kurkulos said of the referendum’s results.

In attempting to change the direction of funding cuts, the group also called on the city’s federal delegation to join on with other congressmen from the state and endorse the Budget for All campaign. Kurkulos further said that support from the full Massachusetts delegation could help lend strength to swaying a majority of Congress to join the effort.

“Although it is true the House is a majority Republican, and the Republicans have a different view, we have a vibrant, progressive Congressional caucus and we aim to tie together what the people want and the actions in Congress,” Kurkulos said.